My Non-Toxic Makeup Routine
I first started learning about clean beauty when I was recovering from chronic health issues in college - and over the last 8 years I have learned so much about the importance of the ingredients in our personal care and beauty products! These are products that we put on our bare skin every single day - so it’s important to make sure your body is only absorbing good ingredients and not being overloaded with toxins!
I have researched and tried so many clean beauty brands over the years, and these are the products that I have found to be both the cleanest and the highest-performing products!
Primer: Beautycounter
This primer from Beautycounter is the perfect 2-in-1, especially if you don’t really have a skincare routine. It is a primer and a serum, so you get the benefits of both in one step! Using this primer really makes a difference with how my makeup lays on my face (especially around the eyes) and is the perfect first step for my makeup routine.
Tinted Moisturizer: Beautycounter + Ilia
The first time I tried Beautycounter’s Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer, I fell in love. It provides very light coverage, is super moisturizing, and also has SPF protection built in!
Ilia’s Super Serum Skin Tint is also a great tinted moisturizer - it also has SPF protection, and it provides a little more coverage than the Beautycounter tinted moisturizer, which I prefer on days when I want a no-makeup look or am just going out to the gym/running errands. The smell took me a while to get used to, but now that I’m used to it I don’t mind it at all.
Foundation: Beautycounter
After trying foundations from 5 or 6 different brands, I fell in love with this foundation stick from Well People! It goes on so smoothly and looks super natural. I also love the mess-free stick application format.
Bronzer, Blush, + Highlighter
Bronzer: Tower 28 Beauty
I recently discovered Tower 28 beauty, and I have been loving their Sculptino Contour/Bronzer! I used the Merit Beauty bronze balm for a while and loved it, but unfortunately it has BHT in it, which is an ingredient I’m not personally comfortable using. So I was really excited when I found this similar alternative! The Tower 28 bronzer has everything I loved about the Merit bronzer - the creamy texture, incredible blendability, and smooth color - without the BHT!
Blush: Beautycounter
I wasn’t always a blush girl, and at first when I tried the Beautycounter Cheeky Clean Cream blush, I didn’t love it - but I realized the issue was that I just got too dark of a color. I tried and loved the Merit Beauty flush balm, but it also has BHT so I decided to try a few other options (Ilia, Tower 28, and Wander Beauty) - and Beautycounter was the winner. I love the Chai color - it goes on super smooth and is very blendable!
Highlight - Merit Beauty
I am OBSESSED with this highlighter. Unlike some of the other Merit Beauty products it does not have BHT, and the texture and glow it gives are absolutely unreal! It comes in 3 amazing shades (I use Citrine) and goes on so smooth, you barely have to blend it in!
Mascara + Brows
After trying so many mascaras, I have been LOVING the ILIA Limitless Lash Mascara! It’s the only clean mascara I’ve found that doesn’t flake or smudge underneath my eyes, and I swear my eyelashes have gotten longer and healthier since switching to it. I have short, stubby lashes so this mascara has been incredible for giving more length while still looking natural!
Over the years I have experimented with several brow gels and pencils, and personally I’ve found that I prefer the look of a brow pencil. The Winky Lux Unibrow brow pencil is supposedly universal, and although I can’t speak to that feature, I will say it’s the longest-lasting clean brow pencil I’ve found! The color is perfect to fill out my brows.
Lips
This lip duo from Beautycounter is my all time favorite!
The sheer conditioning lipstick in Twig is the perfect, natural shade and isn’t too pigmented or noticeable - and what I love about it is that it NEVER dries out my lips! In fact, I typically feel like my lips are left softer than before I put it on - every other lipstick I’ve ever tried always majorly dries out my lips.
Adding the Beyond Gloss on top helps lock in the color and moisture, and gives a lovely, juicy, plump look.